By Irene Lysak

Lewis and Bessie Harris and two small children, a daughter and
a son, arrived in Coalhurst in the fall of 1924, travelling in their
cookcar, pulled by a team of horses. They were fresh from the
harvest fields around Nanton, where dad had gone to do harvesting,
because of a poor crop at Enchant and Retlaw, where dad and his
two brothers, Allan and Harvey, had homesteads.

The prospect of picking free slack coal off the dump was a factor
in dad's decision to trade off his team of horses, to Bob Stewart,
for three acres of land straight north of the dump. Here dad
lowered the cookcar to the ground, and after two additions,
the house became almost large enough to shelter five more
sons, all born there. In 1942, the folks bought the Johnson
House, which sat on main street in Coalhurst, and had it
moved to their property.

Dad got a job as barn boss at the mine, on his arrival in Coalhurst,
but in the spring of 1927, 28 and 29, he and the family went back
to the homestead in Retlaw to try farming again. When we
returned to Coalhurst every fall, dad then worked below in the mine,
Ed Scullen had take over as barn boss, after dad left. Due to poor
crops, dad left the farm entirely, and settled permanently in
Coalhurst, where we raised big gardens and chickens, and picked
the free slack coal off the dump, until Bob Adams got the franchise
to pick and sell it.

We lived through the depression years 1929-39, as a happy family,
as we, as children did not know we were so poor. We always had
lots to eat, thanks to the garden, chickens and relief, which many
families had to seek during those years. We were saddened by
the mine explosion in December 1935, and by the death of our
brother Harold in March 1936. As children we swam and played
in the irrigation ditch, that ran through our property; went on picnics
to the river west of town, also to Park Lake; climbed the dump;
and sleighed on big drifts in the winter; skated at Wigan slough,
or at the town rink, which was behind the Johnson and Pavan homes.
We received most of our education in Coalhurst, and our family
attended faithfully the Coalhurst Pentecostal Church.

We had good neighbours; to the west, first the Bob Stewarts, then
Con Mosers, and Bulo, and later the Schalks; to the east, the
Charlie and Henry Wesselmans, the Ed Scullens, and the Flemings;
to the north, the Odiands. In later years, Jimmie McInnes was our
good neighbour to the east. He was like one of the family, and was
so very generous in the use of his car.

Dad (1878-1968) was born in Rockwood, Ontario. Mother
(1901-1976) was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England.

We no longer have any property in Coalhurst, but go back to
visit friends and to attend Coalhurst Miner's Days.

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